Best German Movies of All Time

The 40 greatest German movies. From expressionism to modern German cinema masterpieces. Our expert curated list features the best picks with streaming links, ratings, and honest reviews. Updated for 2026 with the latest releases and classic favorites.

What are the best german movies of all time?

Our curated list of best german movies of all time features the highest-rated and most popular picks. Updated for 2026 with streaming links.

Last Updated: March 2026

Leberkäsjunkie

2019★ 6.9

While dealing with a burnt-down house, smelly diapers and brutal lack of sleep, a Lower Bavarian police officer faces his worst adversary: cholesterol.

The Tank

2025★ 7.1

A German Tiger tank crew is sent on a dangerous mission to rescue the missing officer Paul von Hardenburg from a top-secret bunker behind enemy lines. As they make their way through the lethal no-man's land, they must confront not only the enemy, but also their own fears and inner demons. Fueled by the Wehrmacht's methamphetamine, their mission increasingly becomes a journey into the heart of darkness.

14 and Under

1973★ 5.4

This episodic film is a close relative of Wolf Hartwig's schoolgirl report movies, made by the same people, in a similar style, around similar topics. However, this one specifically focuses on the coming-of-age aspects, to an extent that it also touches on delicate issues such as paedophilia.

Some Kind of Shadow Machines Were Passing by

1990

In this interview Müller and Kluge explore the East German’s memories of the final days of the war. The session is introduced by a clip from the Russian film maker Sergei Parajanov’s 1961 film entitled The Ukranian Rhapsody. Here a soldier of the Red Army is writing a letter to his fiancee Oskana on the home front, describing to her his imagined vision of listening to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata in the middle of battle. “In the past I rarely listened to Beethoven,” he says, “if he had composed only the Moonlight Sonata, the war would have had to stop in front of it too.” The scene then is interrupted by the arrival of German tanks.

Dream Story

2025★ 6.7

After his wife confesses to having sexual fantasies about another man, a revered doctor becomes intrigued by a secret sex 'ball' attended by some of the city’s most prominent. Disguising himself in a cloak and mask, he sneaks in, despite warnings that attending could destroy his life.

Schüleraustausch

2006★ 5.9

Florian, Matthias and Enrique drive to school full of anticipation: the exchange students are coming today! A bus full of attractive French girls! That means three weeks of partying, fun and coitus! Unfortunately, their rival Henk crosses their path and runs Florian's VW bus off the road with his jeep. Furious, Florian agrees to a bet with Henk: Whoever bangs more French girls gets the car of the losing team - but the girls Sophie and Caro have other ideas...

The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter

1990★ 5.8

Once again, Bastian is transported to the world of Fantasia which he recently managed to save from destruction. However, the land is now being destroyed by an evil sorceress, Xayide, so he must join up with Atreyu and face the Emptiness once more.

The Death of Empedocles

1987★ 5.3

Film adaptation by Straub and Huillet of Hölderlin’s 1798 tragedy on the symbolic death of Empedocles, the legislator in Ancient Greece.

Blue My Mind

2017★ 6.7

15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation which puts her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, Mia is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than she is.

The Adventures of Huck Finn

2012★ 6.0

Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River. Accompanying him is Jim, a slave running away from being sold. Together the two strike a bond of friendship that takes them through harrowing events and thrilling adventures.

Werner - Volles Rooäää!!!

1999★ 5.5

A wicked investor wants Werner's residential area razed to the ground in order to build a shopping center. However, building tycoon Günzelsen has not reckoned with Werner. Together with his master Röhrich he's planning to blow away the plumbings with a gigantic obstruction...

Greta, the Mad Butcher

1977★ 4.6

A young woman feigns illness in order to infiltrate a mental hospital, where she investigates the disappearance of her sister, a former patient. Meanwhile, the hospital warden and her attendants abuse and torture their charges, forcing them to star in cheap skinflicks.

Raven the Little Rascal

2012★ 6.9

A children’s animated feature film based on an internationally bestselling book series for a main target audience of 3 to 8 year olds telling a universal story about friendship, loyalty and honesty in which Little Raven and his friends have to work up all their courage to save their beloved forest.

Murer: Anatomy of a Trial

2018★ 6.0

Franz Murer, the Butcher of Vilnius, a former Austrian SS officer, established, organized, and ruled the Vilnius ghetto in Lithuania during the World War II. Different survivors of the Shoah testify when he is judged in 1963, hoping to do justice, but, although the evidence is overwhelming, the desire to close this obscure chapter of history seems to surpass the desire for justice.

Grand Prix of Europe

2025★ 7.2

Edda, a young mouse and the daughter of fairground operator Erwin, dreams of becoming a race car driver. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the European Grand Prix, Edda gets the opportunity to meet her idol, racing star Ed, and to help her father save his failing business. But to do so, she'll have to get behind the wheel herself.

Trail of the Falcon

1968★ 4.2

In the latter half of the 19th century, gold is discovered in the Black Hills, sacred land of the Lakota people. Gold diggers, profiteers and adventurers flock to the region. Among them is the hard-hearted land speculator Bludgeon, who tries to expel the Lakota using brutal methods. Lakota warriors retaliate, and soon the gold diggers' town becomes a battlefield.

The Tin Drum

1979★ 7.0

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.

All Quiet on the Western Front

2022★ 7.7

Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march into a war they believe in. But once on the Western Front, they discover the soul-destroying horror of World War I.

Clattering Chastity Belts

1974★ 2.8

Well, who says that they were chaste and modest, the ladies and damsels of yesteryear? And even the knights themselves. They knew exactly why they had the chastity belt fastened to their ladies' pretty bodies when they themselves went on crusade or had other important official business to attend to. Better safe than sorry - that's what the robber baron Archibald meant in our case, or in this cheerful film case, when he was summoned to help by his bosom friend Sigurd and went to war with his proud host.

Self-Criticism of a Bourgeois Dog

2017★ 6.6

The story of the dog from the title, who in a frame narrative explains how he came to be transformed from an unemployed communist filmmaker into a canine with a philosophical bent. Unable to finance his new project, young Berlin-based director Julian tells foreign exchange student Camille that his job in the countryside is research for an upcoming film. When Camille offers to help, he is forced to uphold the lie. The plantation isn’t the proletarian idyll he had hoped for, but fortunately the reincarnation of Francis of Assisi provides spiritual insight and a new aim in life.

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